title: Dermatomyositis. Disease associations and an evaluation of screening investigations for malignancy.
abstract: Fifty-three adult patients (19 men, 34 women) with dermatomyositis were studied. Two had dermatomyositis associated with benign disorders. Twenty-three (43%) had a malignancy; the risk of malignancy increased with age, but there was no sex difference. Seven malignancies were recurrences and 9 were diagnosed during investigation of dermatomyositis; these 16 were suspected clinically or from abnormal results of simple investigations. Extensive screening tests did not increase the number of malignancies diagnosed. In 7 patients, a diagnosis of malignancy was made more than 9 months after onset of dermatomyositis, although a relationship between malignancy and dermatomyositis was uncertain in two cases; the diagnosis of gynecological malignancy was missed in 2 patients despite appropriate investigations, 1 patient had poorly controlled dermatomyositis, and in 2 patients late diagnosis of malignancy was due to failure to reinvestigate relapse of previously stable dermatomyositis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England.
authors.forename: N H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Lawrence
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Langtry
authors.forename: F A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Ive
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003882:Dermatomyositis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D012008:Recurrence